Supreme Court declines to hear Apple-Epic antitrust case, meaning developers can point customers to the web | TechCrunch
The Supreme Court has denied both Apple and Epic Games' request to appeal a lower court's ruling on the alleged anticompetitive nature of Apple's App Store.
Apple had largely won its case, but the court ruled that app makers should be able to steer their customers to the web from links inside their apps. [ more ]
Epic wins its antitrust lawsuit against the Play Store. What does this verdict mean for Google?
Google lost an antitrust lawsuit over its Android app store, with the jury deciding that the company's payments system was anticompetitive and harmed consumers and developers.
Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, brought the lawsuit and the verdict is seen as a win for the game developer community. [ more ]
Fortnite: Turning a Meteoric Rise into Sustained Growth
Fortnite's success led Epic Games to explore new growth opportunities, such as micro-transactions and the creation of the Epic store and premium subscription service. [ more ]
Nintendo requested Samus be exclusive to the Switch version of Fortnite, meeting resistance from Epic's desire for cross-platform accessibility. [ more ]
Apple Reverses Course and Allows Epic Games to Start Competing App Store
Apple reversed its decision to block Epic Games from starting a competing app store in Europe.
European tech competition law forces Apple to allow alternative app stores and payment systems, potentially benefiting smartphone users with lower prices. [ more ]
The App Store on Your Phone Is Full of Junky Crap. That Could Be on the Brink of Changing.
Google and Apple profit from app stores by taking a cut of users' payments, which has led to a proliferation of junk apps and limited opportunities for mid-sized players.
Epic Games has won a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of abusing its power in the app store and in-app billing markets. [ more ]
Google CEO Sundar Pichai Testifies in Court for Second Time in 2 Weeks
Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified in an antitrust trial regarding the Google Play Store's business practices.
Epic Games is arguing that Google's payment processing system harms consumers and developers by driving up prices and suppressing competition.
Pichai's testimony in this trial follows his previous appearance in a separate antitrust trial regarding Google's dominance in the search engine market. [ more ]
Epic Games Says Fortnite Will Return To iOS In Europe In 2024
Epic Games announced that Fortnite will return to iOS in Europe in 2024 through the Epic Games Store.
The availability of Fortnite and the Epic Games Store on Apple devices will be limited to countries covered by the European Union's Digital Marketing Act. [ more ]
Apple's App Store policies are getting weirdly aggressive, but publishers should be okay
Epic Games' legal challenge to Apple's App Store policies has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided not to hear the appeals from both Apple and Epic Games, allowing lower court rulings to stand.
While Apple won the majority of the legal battle, Epic Games did secure a small victory. Developers can now link to their websites from their apps, allowing users to conduct transactions outside of Apple's ecosystem. [ more ]
Apple's App Store policies now let US developers link to outside payments
Apple has updated its App Store policies to clarify how developers can link to external payment platforms, while still owing Apple a cut.
The new rules state that developers must apply for an 'entitlement' to link to alternative payment methods and must also offer Apple's in-app purchase system.
These updates come after the Supreme Court's decision not to hear Apple and Epic's appeals over the Epic Games v. Apple ruling. [ more ]